Finn Wittrock Shines in a Drab Character Study

Finn Wittrock is the main reason to watch writer-director Christian Nilsson’s Westhampton, a fairly stock character study about a man coming home to reckon with past mistakes.

Wittrock has enlivened several earlier films and television dramas, earning an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of one of serial killer Andrew Cunanan’s victims in the Ryan Murphy miniseries The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, and another nomination for a season of Murphy’s American Horror Story. This charismatic actor holds the camera effortlessly, and it’s good to see him again in a leading role onscreen, even if the film turns out to be disappointingly thin.

Wittrock plays Tom Bell, a film director who returns to his hometown on Long Island to showcase his new movie, which is based on events from his youth, when he was responsible for an auto accident that impacted his community. It may not come as a surprise to viewers to realize that his return awakens grief and still-simmering resentments among many of the Westhampton residents.

The movie opens with a screening of his black-and-white movie, which disconcerts Tom because of its echoes of his own youth in this community. He flees the screening but stays in town to collect some of his family belongings and to reconnect with some of his old friends, who are not all eager to see him again. The brother of the young woman involved in the accident is now a cop and urges Tom to leave town as quickly as possible. Others are more tickled by his celebrity status and seem eager to hang out with him.

One of these former pals is played by R.J. Mitte, who portrayed Bryan Cranston’s son in the superb series Breaking Bad, and he is once again engaging in this very different role. Other cast members, including Jake Weary and Amy Forsyth, also give solid performances. A special shout-out to Tovah Feldshuh, who has a small but engaging role as one of the adults in the community.

The best thing about the movie aside from Wittrock’s performance is the stunning cinematography by Dave Brick. He captures the windswept beaches and slightly rundown residential areas with finesse. Other technical credits are solid.

Yet the superficial script lets the actors and crew members down. The resentments shared by some of Tom’s former acquaintances are believable enough but never cut very far below the surface. A surprise ending that reveals what actually happened in the accident that haunts Tom is not enough of a bombshell to carry the impact that was apparently intended. And a slightly surreal, fantastical closing scene is puzzling and pretentious rather than provocative. The intercutting of Tom’s black-and-white movie, which turns out to be not quite as accurate as initially implied, also grows tiresome.

The performances may ensure the film’s screenings at other festivals, but the picture seems unlikely to have a long life in theaters. We can only hope to see Wittrock again very soon in a more rewarding role.